Sixth Form Students Discuss Class Legacy At Retreat

Even though the school year has only just begun, some Sixth Form students may already find themselves feeling introspective or even nostalgic. For most, this is the last year of their high school experience. And so at their class retreat on September 12, they asked themselves—and each other—what legacy do they want to leave at Canterbury, individually and as a class?

After a Form dinner, which included remarks from Head of School Caroline Blatti, Gianna Martinez, and Cody Hew offered words of reflection before students gathered into discussion groups. Gianna shared some of her experiences from the Lourdes Pilgrimage this summer, where she and other Canterbury students volunteered to assist the sick and elderly who visited the holy site seeking comfort, healing, and renewal. 

“An idea we discussed at Lourdes was the association with Lourdes being ‘a world upside down,’” she said. “Our world’s ordinary values consist of power and prestige, but at Lourdes, humility and caring for the suffering are at the forefront. … So, turn to others, turn to God, speak up for those in need or those you care for. Act through service, consider others’ needs alongside your own, and act with empathy and consideration for others. Make Canterbury our world upside down.”

Students broke into discussion groups, led by faculty members and Sacristans to discuss actionable responses to big questions. How do you want your class to be remembered? Why is it important to leave a positive legacy at Canterbury? And how can students spend the next academic year effecting positive change that will live beyond their graduation?

“They were very engaged,” observes Josh Leeuw, Director of the D’Amour Center of Faith, Service, and Justice, who organized the event. “Their answers to the questions were sincere and authentic, and I was struck by how seriously they were taking the activity. … The big theme for all of them is that we’re working together. They want to support one another, even if it’s outside of our comfort zone.”

Students then wrote a letter to themselves, addressing these questions and discussions, which they will reread shortly before Commencement.

“The Sixth Form retreat felt special to me because it seemed like the beginning of a full-circle moment, like the beginning of the end,” says Miguel Garcia, a Sacristan who offered the opening prayer and blessing before the dinner portion of the event. Whether he’d known his classmates since Third Form year or just met earlier this year, he says, the sense of community was strong. He continues, “It also felt like an initiation of some sort as an official senior, who are people that I've looked up to my whole time at Canterbury.”

In addition to the discussion and letters, this week, the class will hang a banner with their intentions for the year in the D’Amour Center. 

“Everyone is going to sign it,” Mr. Leeuw explains, “to hold everyone accountable, to support each other, and to be good role models to their peers, especially the younger kids. All of them want to leave Canterbury a better place. They want to leave something that the next class can pick up and continue to make the hilltop better.”

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